Cy Twombly A monograph

Leeman takes the reader on a journey through Twombly's "large landscape of his psyche" as visualized in more than 350 reproductions of his works, primarily drawings/paintings. These objects have been called "biomorphic," "non-objective," "gestural markings," "ideograms," "erupting effluvia," even "graffiti," and they call to mind some works by De Kooning or Pollock or Matta and others who grew to maturity with him in the 1950s New York scene. The author follows "both a thematic and chronological progression" and builds his expository structure with the writings of contemporary scholars/critics and artists as well as such classical philosophers as Plato and poets like Pound and Baudelaire. There is a mysticism to the essays because of the perceived interrelationships between writing (language) and painting, the perception of an ultimate merging into a single art form. These are factors that have supported Twombly's stature as a major American artist. Although the many carefully reproduced works are finely suited to their use in illustrating the profundity of the text, one cannot appreciate their emotional impact because the originals are often 10 by 12 feet or more in size; the pages of a book tend to greatly diminish the significance of the works. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. K. Marantz emeritus, Ohio State University

Cy Twombly's body of work remains difficult to categorize, with its thousands of anguished gestures that are beautiful despite themselves and scribbled words that act as images. It is simultaneously modern and ancient, brash and sublime. In this monograph, which coincides with a major Twombly retrospective currently traveling the United States, Leeman (art history, Bordeaux Univ., France) presents a chronological study of Twombly's influences, allusions, and source material as well as a somewhat standard autobiographical study. He divides the monograph into segments (e.g., "Primitive, Ritual, Fetish"; "Romantic Symbolism") that neatly trace the artist's continuing evolution since the 1950s on paper and canvas. Anecdotal "evidence"-such as Twombly's claim that he painted his first signature drawing with the lights out-is as important and fascinating as Leeman's detailed research and spectacular deconstructions of the works. This book supersedes Kirk Varnedoe's Cy Twombly: A Retrospective in both scope and analysis. Highly recommended for all art collections.-Douglas McClemont, New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.